THOM BROWNE

AN INTIMATE SOIREENew York: Thom Browne’s presentation at the New York Public Library was a tour de force of showmanship. The room was arranged to resemble a cocktail party at a chic pre-war Berlin apartment. One of the evening’s two hostesses was a creepy, white-haired woman decked in a stiff tweed skirt and two tailored blazers with padded shoulders of Frankenstein proportions. The other was a chair-bound, sequined mermaid with a pinstripe blazer draped over her shoulders. Before long, a stream of equally eccentric guests began to arrive in pairs. The evening’s Sapphic undertones were highlighted by Browne’s use of stiff menswear fabrics, masculine tailoring and androgynous styling. If this all sounds unappealing, rest assured that there were plenty of great wearable garments mixed in with the showpieces. The boxy suiting (much of it sleeveless) was spot on, as were the canary yellow plaids decorated with sequins and beading. Skirts hovered around the mid-calf and were supported by petticoats that often ended in a mermaid flounces. The sheer, transparent dresses and blouses were sexy by Thom Browne standards, and visible suspenders added a subversive twist to an already loaded presentation. – Shine Anthony-Dharan